Gem Thieves Strike Harvey Nichols

Published on 12/05/09

Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of gold diamond rings have been stolen from the London branch of Harvey Nichols following a smash-and-grab raid.

The luxury Knightsbridge store was targeted by six suspects at 01:30 GMT, with the thieves using sledgehammers to gain entry and make off with valuable goods, owners of brilliant cut diamond rings will be interested to hear.

Three of the assailants smashed cabinets in the Garrard boutique, picked up the jewels and then made their escape, with CCTV cameras capturing pictures of them making their way towards Hyde Park corner.

The perpetrators are believed to be part of a loose collection of criminals known as Fagin's Kitchen, a group which has a history of stealing emerald cut diamond rings, diamond drop earrings and other pieces of jewellery.

In other news, police in the US are searching for a man who stole a 6.6-carat jewel-encrusted band worth $80,000 (£52,000).